Weft thread motion applied to warp thread dobbies in shuttleless looms



Nov. 22, 1966 R. B. soLoBARfi' 3,

WEFT THREAD MOTION APPLIED TO WRAP THREAD DOBBIES IN SHUTTLELESS LOOMS Filed Sept. 10, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet l' Nov. 22, 196 6 R. B. GOLOBART WEFT THREAD MOTION APPLIED TO WRAP THREAD DOBBIES IN SHUTTLELESS LOOMS Filed Sept. 10, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 .FFCLLFEI da Nov. 22, 1966 Flled Sept 10, 1964 United States Patent Claims. (a. 139-122) This invention relates to a weft thread selecting motion applied in warp thread dobbies, adapted to shuttleless looms, in which the warp threads are actuated by levers suitably directed by a set of paper, cardboard or wooden cards for the actuation of the warp threads. In this case the weft threads are likewise actuated by levers directed by the same set of paper, cardboard or wooden cards which simultaneously serve to direct the warp threads, the result being the complete omission of the supplementary and independent mechanism for the presentation and selection of weft threads hitherto employed.

The known systems for the selection and presentation of the weft thread in shuttleless looms are based on the application of a supplementary mechanism independent of the warp thread dobby intended exclusively for the actuation of the weft thread presentation and selection elements, in order for the weft to be picked by the weft picker for the formation of the cloth. This type of machine necessitates a complicated mechanism, various precautions having to be observed for the control of the same, for the purpose of adequately synchronizing the weft thread presentation elements actuated specifically by the said supplementary mechanism, with the movements of the warp threads actuated by the warp thread dobby and the control of synchronism in respect of the movement of the weft picker, especially when a stoppage of the loom occurs because of a break in any of the weft threads.

In the independent supplementary mechanism the selection of the weft thread-s is controlled by a mechanism actuated by holes or pegs of a suitable set of paper, cardboard or wooden cards, in whose holes a needle is fitted for each element which is selected on the presentation of the weft thread, giving rise to the formation of the weft pattern.

The drive for the supplementary mechanism is through gears or chains by suitable transmission from the loom, support elements being likewise necessary which support the supplementary mechanism and the selector device on the loom.

In this type of independent mechanism, when a weftpresenting element tactuates a number Olf consecutive wefts, it is found necessary to present the Weft thread as many times as wefts have to be inserted, causing an unnecessary waste of effort.

Up till now this type of mechanism has been employed for the selection and presentation of weft threads and even when in certain circumstances there has been substituted in them solely the function of selection which has been effected by the warp thread dobby usually employed on the loom, synchronization of selection and presentation adequate for uniform and rapid operation of the loom is only partly achieved.

With the present invention there is completely eliminated the said supplementary mechanism which with its set of perforated paper, cardboard or wooden cards carries out the weft thread selection and presentation, and the abovementioned drawbacks.

The invention consists of a mechanism actuated directly by the warp thread dobby proper, employing the number of levers which usually cause the warp threads to oscillate "ice in an ascending and descending motion, in the quantity necessary and for the actuation of the weft thread presentation elements, there are likewise available the necessary levers, as many as presenting elements, so that the mechanism simultaneously compels the warp threads and the weft thread presenting elements to act by means of a single set'of paper, cardboard or wooden cards. Thereby, the disposition of the pegs and holes is so directed that the warp arrangement coincides with that of the weft, but in fact specifically in one and the same set of paper, cardboard or wooden cards, forming the design of the fabric. In this way, the system of the invention differs from the other known systems in which the wefts are caused to move and to be presented by the abovementioned independent and complicated mechanism, directed by a first set of paper, cardboard or wooden cards, specifically for the weft, and the Warp thread motion is controlled separately by the special mechanism for this purpose by means of a second set of paper, cardboard or wooden cards specifically for the warp.

The mechanism consists of a body or block which is firmly supported on the superstructure of the loom, in the case where the transmission system receives the movement from the dobby which is used to actuate the warp threads likewise mounted on the superstructure of the loom. In this warp thread dobby, there is used the same set of paper, cardboard or wooden cards as are commonly used for actuating the warp threads, in which the pegs or holes required for actuating the warp threads can be placed on the right hand side of the set of paper, cardboard or wooden cards, and on the left hand side the pegs or holes for acuating the weft thread presenting elements, or vice versa.

In the block or body there are provided swing levers connected by one end with the warp thread dobby levers for the displacement of the cables which actuate the weftpresenting elements, and which in dependence on the oscillating movements of the jack levers, of the warp thread dobby and controlled by a helical retaining spring, move the presenting elements into operative or rest position. Another helical drawing spring returns its corresponding swing levers to their rest position. These swing levers are so connected to said cables that when they are actuated by the oscillating jack levers of the dobby mechanism, they are turned out from their rest position to approximately halfway along their path of travel without actuating the respective cables, these cables being actuated only during the remainder part of the swing lever travel. This ensures that a presenting element does not begin to move until the preceding presenting element or elements are in their original rest position, thus eliminating the crossing of the wefts by the presenting elements and completely avoiding any accidental interference, breaks or catching of the weft thread with the needle of the weft picker.

In the case when the warp thread dobby is of the type which is mounted laterally above the loom rfirame, the mechanism can be arranged in the infrastructure of the loom below the warp threads, profiting by the oscillating motion of the levers which actuate the warp threads, of which those are assigned which are suitable for use exclusively for actuating the swing levers that the mechanism deter-mines for the presentation and selection of the weft threads.

With the complete omission of the conventional independent supplementary mechanisms and the application of the mechanism which forms the subject matter of the invention directly to the movement of the warp thread dobby, there is further obtained a per-feet control of the active and passive movements of the presentation ele ments. As a result, each weft-presenting element concerned can be retained in its suitable position, thanks to the facility of control in connection with the set of paper, cardboard or woo-den cards. The control is completely obtained by means of one and the same set of paper, cardboard or wooden cards excluding the possibility of the failure to obtain simultaneity which exists in known :sys tems which makes it necessary to synchronize the elements which act in the case of the wefts of the first set of paper, cardboard or wooden cards apart from the second set of paper, cardboard or wooden cards corresponding to the warp threads.

The following advantages among others are obtained with the new mechanism.

The same set of paper, cardboard or wooden cards applied to the warp thread dobby, controls simultaneously, even with independent pattern arrangements, the warp threads and swing levers actuating the elements for the presentation and selection of the weft threads.

The use of the supplementary mechanism *fior the selection and presentation of weft threads hitherto employed is completely avoided.

Elimination of supporting elements, transmission systems and geariugs.

Automatic coordination of the movements of the warp threads with the weft-presenting elements, with absolute simplicity of control of weft and warp simultaneously.

When a weft-presenting element makes various con-secutive picks, it remains immobile at the point in which it collects the weft presented at the picker, thus avoid-ing considerable wear and tear, and as a result increasing the economic efiiciency of the loom.

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which the type of warp thread dobby is a flake yarn dobby with healds.

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation in section of the mechanism embodying the principles of the present invention representing the actuation of a cable,

FIGURE 2 is a plan View of FIGURE 1 representing the posit-ion of eight swing levers with their corresponding elements,

FIGURE 3 is a detail of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 4 is 'a diagram of a loom with the mechanism mounted on its superstructure,

FIGURE 5 is a diagram of a loom with the mechanism mounted on its infrastructure,

FIGURE '6 is .a view in the direction D of the set of paper, card-board or wooden cards in FIGURE 4,

FIGURE 7 is a view in the direction E of the set of paper, cardboard or wood cards in FIGURE 5.

' In FIGURES 1 and 2 a jack lever 1 of a war-p thread dobby (not shown) transmitting an oscillating motion is articulated at its end 2, to the arm 3 of swing lever 4, by a pin 5, the swing lever 4 being 'articulately supported by a pin 6 on a projection 7 of a body 8. The free end 10 of the lower arm 9 of the lever 4 takes the form of a fork 11 and is guided by a guide 12 of the body 8. The fork 11 accommodates and slides over a rod 13, which at its end carries a bearing catch 14 with a projecting screwed element 15 which screws with a counter-nut 16 into an element 17 which controls the travel of the cable 18 actuating the weft-presenting elements (not shown).

In order to bias the lever 4 in a counterclockwise direction, a helical spring 19 is connected at one end to the arm 3 and at the other end to a pin 20 arranged in an aperture in a projection 22 of the body 8. The pin 20 is provided with a screw thread on which is threaded a nut 21 for adjusting the tension in the spring 19.

There is likewise connected to the rod 13 another helical spring 23 also adjustable by means of a screw threaded pin 24 and nuts 25 and 26, located at a projection 27 of the support 28, fixed to [the body 8 by means of screws 29 and 30, in order to return and maintain at rest the cable 18, after the presentation of the weft thread-s.

In FIGURE 1 the lever 4 is shown in the rest position A and, as shown in broken lines, in the position B which it begins to actuate the catch 14 and simultaneously effect the forward movement of the cable 18. In the two positions A vand B and during its travel the swing lever 4 does not actuate the cable 18, and consequently the presenting elements (not shown) cannot cross, since the movement which each weft presenting element (not shown) has to make is approximately half that elfected by the end 19 of the arm 9 of the lever 4, in order that a presenting element shall not begin to move until the presenting'element or elements of the preceding pick movement are in their rest position.

FIGURE 3 is a detail of the swing lever 4 during the travel in which it pushes the catch 14 connected to! the cable 18 (FIGURE 1), the position .B of the swing lever 4 being shown broken lines, when the catch 14 is beginning to act and likewise the position C of the swing lever 4 when it has pushed in the complete travel the catch 14 of the cable 13 (FIGURE 1).

FIGURE 4 is a diagram of the loom shown in chain line with a warp thread dobby 31, in this example with healds represented in broken lines, applied to the superstructure 32 of the loom where the mechanism of the invention is mounted on the support 33, likewise supported on the said superstructure 32, by the screws 34 and 35. The mechanism receives oscillating movement through the levers 1 from the dobby 31 with healds 40, Whose mechanism transmits through the swing levers 4 movement to as many cables 18 as weft-presenting elements may be required for the fabric. In this FIGURE 4, the warp threads are shown at 41, the weft threads at 42, the weft selecting elements at 43, and the weft inserting needle at 44.

FIGURE 5 is a diagram of a loom, shown in broken lines, with a dobby 36 actuating the warp threads, in this example with healds, shown in broken lines, applied to the frame 37 of the loom, in whose other frame 38 is mounted the mechanism hereinbefore described by a support 33 supported on the said frame 38 of the infrastructure of the loom by the screws 34 and 35. The mechanism receives the oscillating motion through the levers 1 of the dobby 36 with healds, whose mechanism through the swing levers 4, transmits movement to as many cables 18 as weft-presenting elements may be required for the fabric.

FIGURES 6 and 7 are views at D and E in FIGURES 4 and 5, respectively, showing the set of cards which, in this case are wooden cards, U being the section for actuating the Warp threads and T being the section for actuating the swing levers which transmit movement to the cables which actuate the weft thread-presenting elements, or vice versa.

In the body, there may be mounted the number of swing levers with their complementary elements according to the corresponding wefts. It may likewise consist of a complex formed by the conjunction of a set of supports of each swing lever with its corresponding elements united with one another in multiple form in accordance with the requirements necessitated by the number of wefts, and the details and constructional features employed in putting it into practice will be independent of the subject matter of the invention; it is to be understood that without going outside the scope of the present invention there may be introduced into the same modifications and additions or the employment of equivalent means.

What I claim is:

1. A weft thread selecting motion for shuttleless looms driven by a dobby mechanism, said selecting motion comprising a body, weft thread presenting and selecting elements, cables actuating said elements, swing levers supported and articulated in said body for moving said cables in one direction to place said selecting elements in operative position, first spring means actuating said cables in the opposite direction to place them in their rest position,

5 second spring means adapted to return said swing levers to their rest position after each presentation of a weft thread, and oscillating levers operatively connecting said dobby mechanism with said swing levers.

2. A weft thread selecting motion for shuttleless looms as claimed in claim 1, wherein said swing levers are so connected to said cables actuating the said weft threads selecting elements that, when said swing levers are actuated by said oscillating levers for moving the said cables in said one direction, they are turned out from their rest position to approximately halfway along their path of travel without actuating the respective cables, said cables being actuated only during the remaining part of the swing lever travel.

3. A weft thread selecting motion for shuttleless looms as claimed in claim 1, comprising employing a number of said oscillating levers of the dobby mechanism for controlling the ascending and descending movement of the Warp threads, and employing another number of said oscillating levers for simultaneously actuating the said swing levers controlling through the said cables the weft thread selecting elements.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,594,398 4/1952 Cooper 139122 3,111,144 11/1963 Pfarrwaller 139-126 3,159,185 12/1964 Smith 139126 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

DONALD W. PARKER, Examiner.

H. S. JAUDON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A WEFT THREAD SELECTING MOTION FOR SHUTTLELESS LOOMS DRIVEN BY A BODY MECHANISM, SAID SELECTING MOTION COMPRISING A BODY, WEFT THREAD PRESENTING AND SELECTING ELEMENTS, CABLES ACTUATING SAID ELEMENTS, SWING LEVERS SUPPORTED AND ARTICULATED IN SAID BODY FOR MOVING SAID CABLES IN ONE DIRECTION TO PLACE SAID SELECTING ELEMENTS IN OPERATIVE POSITION, FIRST SPRING MEANS ACTUATING SAID CABLES IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO PLACE THEM IN THEIR REST POSITION, SECOND SPRING MEANS ADAPTED TO RETURN SAID SWING LEVERS TO THEIR REST POSITION AFTER EACH PRESENTATION OF A WEFT THREAD, AND OSCILLATING LEVERS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID DOBBY MECHANISM WITH SAID SWING LEVERS. 